Sigma announces dp1 Quattro and LVF-01 loupe

Sigma has announced that its dp1 Quattro large-sensor compact will be available from mid-October. It has also announced the LVF-01 magnifying loupe for the camera to allow the rear LCD to be used as an electronic viewfinder. The dp1 Quattro marries a 28mm equivalent F2.8 lens to the latest generation of Sigma's Foveon technology.

The Quattro's chip detects color by detecting how much light has penetrated to three different depths in the sensor. Unlike previous generations of sensor, the Quattro samples its top layer at 19.6MP, but only 4.9MP at the two deeper levels, using the top layer for resolution and blue capture and deriving the red and green information from the lower-pixel-count layers.

The dp1 Quattro joins the 45mm equivalent dp2 Quattro in the company's lineup, with the promise of a 75mm equivalent dp3 Quattro to follow. No pricing is given for the dp1 Quattro at the time of announcement.

Widest of the high-powered, compact trio on shelves in mid-October, new accessory available in December

RONKONKOMA, N.Y. — September 12, 2014 – Sigma Corporation of America, a leading researcher, developer, manufacturer and service provider of some of the world's most impressive lines of lenses, cameras and flashes, today announced the availability of the Sigma dp1 Quattro camera and a new view finder that will magnify Quattro cameras' LCD screens. The second compact camera in the dp Quattro series will be available in the United States in mid-October and the accessory will be sold separately beginning in December. The pricing of both products has not yet been announced.

The dp1 Quattro utilizes a newly developed, fixed 19mm F2.8 wide-angle lens, equivalent to a 28mm on a 35mm camera, that is specifically designed and optimized to pair with Sigma's new Quattro sensor, making it the widest of the dp Quattro trio of cameras. One FLD glass element paired with two glass mold aspherical lenses minimize aberration. An optimized telecentric design improves image quality throughout the frame to maximize the resolution power of the Foveon senor. The dp2 (30mm) is currently available and the dp3's pricing and availability has yet to be announced.

In addition to the availability of the dp Quattro camera, Sigma has also announced a new LCD View Finder LVF-01, which is exclusively designed for the Quattro series of cameras. The LVF-01 attaches to the camera's LCD display to eliminate outside light and features a diopter adjustment range from -2 to +1. Coupled with the camera's high-performance lens and coating, it magnifies the LCD display 2.5 times, allowing photographers to check the focus more easily with enhanced clarity and visibility. The easy handling of the viewfinder also helps reduce camera shake.

As with all the cameras in the Quattro series, the dp1 Quattro boasts a redesigned camera body that enables optimal lens and sensor performance and it contains the newly developed Foveon "Quattro" Direct Image sensor, which is the only of its kind.

The Quattro sensor is a three-layered, panchromatic silicon chip whose green-sensitive middle and red-sensitive bottom layers each have 4.9 MP and record only color/chrominance information. The top blue layer captures chrominance and resolution/luminance information with 19.6 MP, resulting in greater detail capture and resolution capabilities that are higher than the Merrill DP camera line. The Quattro sensor's architecture also contributes to true color rendition and more detail capture, delivering even more realistic images as well as faster image processing, improving overall user experience.

"We value image quality above all else and the engineering, craftsmanship and functional design of the Quattro cameras produce emotive imagery with the richest tones, gradations and textures," said Mark Amir-Hamzeh, president of Sigma Corporation of America. "Our Sigma users are particularly enamored with the wide, 19mm lens in the dp1, which has been redesigned to maximize the capabilities of the Quattro sensor."

The dp1 Quattro camera will differ from earlier generations of the DP cameras, as it will feature:

Foveon direct image sensor that produces images that are more colorful, rich, deep and faithful than ever before

I use DPP just to "develop" raw images to TIFF files, which I then process through ACR and Photoshop as usual. Takes a while, so I read my mail or fix coffee. No biggie.

Bottom line: think medium-format ersatz. Good ersatz, but ersatz. A DP isn't an Alpa, or a Leica S or a Hasselblad or a Mamiya or even a Pentax 645 -- but most of those cost at least a dozen times as much.

Get the right tool for the job. For handheld work, find another system. I use Micro Four Thirds.

I think this is a very clever move on their part. The cameras are aimed squarely at a medium format digital demographic. and if you look at the PR shot, this now makes the camera have the near identical grip and handling as say a hasselblad or a phase one body.

Well done sigma ;)

In terms of iso gripes, software gripes etc .. keep in mind there is a large group of photographers that use very leftside cameras already for specific work at lower ISO's. Alpa users for instance require a digital back, lens shift and uncompromised mechanical engineering. I have actually just recommended a pair of DPmerrills to an artist as her brief was detail retention and well corrected lenses above all else. With the warnings in place over handling, she saved literally £2000 over replicating that workflow and level of technical output over a nikon or canon system.

Also most sigma users know DPP is slow .. you factor it in and assume you export early on to TIFF then into an editor.

Wow. And you thought it was hard to hold before. Weirdly, I quite like the Quattro, but Sigma made some duff decisions at the design stage. This camera should have come with built-in EVF and tilting screen.

Wally Brooks is right. The DP's are in essence tiny studio/field cameras, best used on a tripod or monopod. For less than a thousand dollars (especially if you buy one of the Merrills, now going for cheap) you get images close to the quality of digital medium format that costs at least five times as much. True, you don't get interchangeable lenses, you have to put up with slow buffering and lots of other shortcomings. The DP's are still a lot easier to use than the 4x5's I once lugged around.

Sigma's marketing folks seem off base to me; they seem to want to sell these as carry-around street-snapping cameras, which they certainly aren't. Then again, remember how they tried to market the SD1 at a price of nearly ten thousand dollars?

Summary: The Sigma DP's are a niche product; if you aren't into studio/field photography, look elsewhere.

Well, the DP2Q is my fifth DP series camera and I think it works great as a travel camera, where most of my photos will be taken in broad daylight. I was surprised by how responsive even the original DP1 was when I first tried one, they are far better than their reputation IMHO. The handling of the new model with the twin metal control wheels is also excellent if you're like me and prefer M mode.

No, due to inherent properties of the sensor technology, they're not the best tool for social snaps at night, but image quality isn't my priority in that case anyway...

Niche cameras are not going to satisfy everyone (by definition) but if you are in the niche you will soon become a fanatic. Mobile phone users are in a niche as wide as the Grand Canyon. Plenty of advocates I suppose.

Their software is slow on to process images, the images are huge, there is no EVF, the camera is funky looking, it's buffering is a joke.

So why have one?

If you don't know you are missing the point. It's like a view camera shooting the zone system. You have to know how to vary contrast by changing development time on the negative then strategic working on the print. It makes great images that can be printed large very large.

This unsightly absurdity should have been announced last April 1st. It illustrates the desperation of today's second-string camera makers, though. First, they took away the reflex viewfinder, which gave a big, bright optical image. It was a good thing, they said, because cameras could be made an inch smaller. Now, because we miss that big, bright image, we're supposed to buy this contraption, which doubles the size of the camera. That needs a lot more explaining before I get see that as progress.

I give Sigma a lot of credit for going where no man has gone before or wants to go. They used to make stuff that was inexpensive and truly lousy (if you got a good one) but now they are making some impressive products. They seem to be trying harder than the big guys.

Actually, the Quattro can take excellent photos thru ISO400. And there are places it can easily be used at ISO800.

I'm going by raws I've downloaded from Imaging-Resource and PhotographyBlog. And then extracted. There's effectively no noise at ISO 100, so either SLR Lounge is shooting jpeg, or doesn't know how to use Sigma Pro Photo 6 for extraction.

Are you not generally familiar with the history of shooting above 800 ISO with DSLRs?

There will be stillife studio and landscapes types who will love it, but it is impractical for reportage-completely.When do we get the choice of an EVF? The image quality from the DP2 is wonderful, but is the DP1Quattro's lens a vast improvement on the DP1 Merrills, because it was not at all a good lensI would need to know how many hours I can leave the battery running before it dies.I returned a Merrill 16MP compact a few months ago because the answer to that was about 40 minutes. By the time I had set up the camera and taken a few test shots, the battery was exhausted. You needed to run it off the mains!!

Since the DP1 Quattro has a new lens we may expect it to be an improvement, although with the DP1 Merrill you could shoot wonderful photos, as Paul Thacker has done on a ranch. I've seen his photos on Sigma's website a while ago, but now I couldn't find them anymore. The Loupe isn't a bad thing; I had thought of a Hoodloupe already in case of I would buy me a Quattro. But an EVF would certainly make more sense in our days of digital photography. The loupe is somewhat anachronistic especially when used outdoors. An EVF however needs battery power from the camera; maybe that's why Sigma decided against it.

Huge rectangular, apparently inspired by movie palace candy boxes. Lack of EVF and this hood contraption could have been solved by a split design like the Coolpix 995, 4500 or even the Coolpix 2500/3500. Use the extra real estate. A camera that swivels is much better than those fragile moving LCDs we now have. I believe the OEMs are stuck with pre-designed subassemblies.

As much as I like Sigma, they need to drop this Quattro-design fiasco A-S-A-P before they surpass the SD1 original release-price fiasco. WHAT ON EARTH did the designers think when creating the Quattro??? IT IS ugly, IT IS grossly not ergonomic, IT IS not compact in any conceivable way!!! There is nothing positive to this design at all. Sigma wake up...

Not everyone finds the design ugly, and a lot of people don't care how a camera looks as long as it works.

At least some reviewers have reported that the Quattro handles very well, if you know how to hold it correctly. I guess it works for some, but not for others, just like any other camera design.

And about the size, Sigma has stated that the Quattro cameras weren't intended to be compact. The goal was to create a fixed-lens camera designed for two-handed operation, that would feel and handle much like a DSLR.

It does bring up an interesting point. The jury-rigged stuff out there from companies like Hoodman and the professional video companies do not serve the camera owner who wants to magnify their LCD. Their devices are bulky and clumsy, mostly badly designed because there is no easy way to affix them to generic cameras. A simple L-hinge, attached to the tripod socket where the viewer could flip under the camera when not in use would be good.

I've been using a similar device for years on the back of my NEX-5 -- a rigid-frame magnifying finder that cost under $20 via eBay (and unfortunately didn't have a diopter adjustment). It doesn't compete well with the NEX-7 or A7 EVF, and it's big enough to attract attention (which could be good or bad), but there is no question that it does work quite well. Given the odd form of the Quattro, I think the LCD eyepiece actually makes more sense than an add-on EVF.

Room for a folding Clearviewer style lens on a stick type viewer here I think. If Sigma "legitimises" the idea of a fully enclosed loupe then the lens on a stick finder has to be the half-way house that retains most of the advantages and is certainly a far more compact device to carry.

I REALLY do wish Sigma would have some reasonable offerings for us enthusiasts.

Their sensor design really makes sense to me and with some bells and whistles like the Lumix FZ1000, they would have a HUGE sales winner. . . it is looking like Pany is going to sell a bajillion FZ1000's.

Sigma seems to have a similar 'pure photography' philosophy as Leica, in making a point of not offering a lot of bells and whistles, but only the basic features that a photographer needs. I don't think they will change this approach anytime soon. It's obvious that they, just like Leica, have no ambition to try to take market shares from the bigger companies, but are quite happy with the small, but very loyal customer base they already have.

Agreed, if they made a "me too" camera they would be quickly mulched as can be seen by their foray into dslr territory. Making a camera for niche use is going to leave those who just want a camera like everyone else aghast. On the other hand the further they go into their niche only the truly brave will venture there lest "thar be a spider lurking" and it will bite.

Of course there are those that don't mind a prospect of spiders find that they seem to occupy the best territory and catch the best views.

Sigma wear their niche camera inventitiveness like a badge of honour and the more quirky it seems the shinier it gets.

I'd agree with both Tom and Revenant, HOWEVER, it seems that both companys are in many ways limiting what I want/need and often times need for making the shots I want/need . . . and I have no idea what 'pure photography' is. I've spent more thousands of hours in dark rooms than I'd like to recall and if that is some thing that counts as pure photography count me out. . . hooray for technology. . .or is pure photography something that was happening at the turn of the previous century [hard for me to make that phase].

Sigma has a very 'advanced' sensor and coupling that with some same generation technology does not- would not dilute their 'pureness'. Leica on the other hand grabs a Pany and [most of the time] pastes a red dot on it. . . PURE PhotoG. . . may be not so much.

Niche inventiveness-maybe in the sensor -why stop there. Seems as Sony & Pany have put out some inventiveness that Sigma does/will not.

If they were into PURE PhotoG they'd still be using glass or tin plates. . .

weird getting weirder...lolbut what matters is IQ..and this camera delivers at low iso...but with some color noise and blotching...and some color degradation too..as this comparison shows:http://www.dpreview.com/forums/post/54363856the red, green on boats are pretty much ugky here..maybe the PP...

I'm really curious about the performance of this LVF-01 loupe. I have my doubts about it really helping nail the focus. I use a Hoodman Loupe for the cameras I have but I only use it for framing the shot, or reviewing the shot I've just taken.

With these cameras having a fixed prime lens then surely a removable OVF is the better option?

For many years prior to the Quattro the DP designs were as boring and anonymous as anything out there. They were criticized for being bland and unoriginal. And now they are criticized for being too original.

Yet they have always been lauded for having exceptional image quality. The more things change...

All these criticisms from people who havent used a sigma DP or held this one in their hand used it. I know several people I trust that say after an hour they love the camera ergonomics. Usually a radical design like this has some smart thinking behind it, but very few are open to even trying to understand it.

I think you don't know what you are typing here. Chris Niccols reviewed this "thing" and could not find a way of being positive about the ergonomics of Quattro:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o7ktvDUyTyUI have to take his word for it (and what my eyes register!)

Doug Kaye gave it great reviews for ergonomics and rated high for him on exposure triangle controls. A 6 for him is high for him if you watch the video. He only downgrades it for ecosystem and raw file development which everyone knows is a pain. Chris may not like it, but he doesnt like alot of cameras. He doesnt like the merrill either but I do. Buts its funny how based on one review you make assumptions that I don't know something. This is more comical than making assumptions about a camera you haven't used, because now your making assumptions about someone you don't know from a small paragraph.

I like Chris but he is clearly a go with the crowd guy and doesn like anything outside the box. He likes cameras that sell to the masses and he says that in his Merrill review. http://youtu.be/f3VjyHQiqdE

Its cool if Chris doesnt like, many people will also not like it. I may not like it. But I think to make assumptions without trying it for yourself may prevent someone from finding something they actually like.

I found so many criticisms of my Ricoh GR in so many reviews and DP review comments that I almost didn't try it. But now that I have it, its my favorite camera of all time. I don't get an emotional connection with cameras, but I love my Ricoh. I love the handling and color which is the number one criticism.

Handling Schmandling. This bit of gear belongs on a tripod.We should talk about why people don't use tripods, not the supposed shortcomings of this camera.Oh, the answer is they are lazy. Not saying anything, just saying.

I prefer the DP Merrill Design. Smaller, more practical. This quattro Loupe seems a bit overengineered. But who cares, as long as Sigma is the only company that can put such a unique sensor in a consumer camera, they can even make it look like a yoghurt cup and it will sell.

Btw there is also a new Sigma hotshoe viewfinder called VF-41. it looks bigger than the old ones and should be in fact comparable to a Voigtländer (brighter, less distortion).

Since this is a single focal point fixed lens camera, why wouldn't an optical viewfinder that slid into the hot shoe make more sense? Like the ones Leica and Voigtlander make for rangefinder cameras, or the one Olympus made for their 17mm f/2.8 lens?

Of course it would... but that would be simpler, cheaper, and much less grotesque. Which would defeat the whole "Quattro Concept." And it wouldn't get enough laughs.

The camera does have a hot shoe, so why not provide a slide on EVF like so many other manufacturers have? That would also be simpler, cheaper and much less grotesque, and it would provide an eye level EVF that would provide the added benefit of tilting upwards.

But it is possible to use other brands OVF's right? I actually owned the Olympus Vf-1, but didn't like the fact that you can't see info in it other than composition (also dof can't be seen with it, which I think is an important factor with composition, apart from landscape use maybe).

It is not for framing but for confirming focus. Taking advantage of extreme resolution is only possible with perfect focus for which this gadget seems to be designed for. An optical finder would be useless for thatK.

Marty,,the camera design is not grotesque at all,,I personally think it looks better than the previous generation,,,seriously,,just look at that Nikon d810 to the right of the screen and tell me it actually looks good,,,its not attractive at all,,just porposeful,,you seem to struggle with "change"...

I am sure Sigma will sell all the Quattro cameras that they budget to make into the small niche market that they occupy and will be happy. I am not at all sure why cameras have to be judged as a failure simply because they are made and sold into market niches.

It seems that unless a camera can be made in vast quantities at infnitessimal margins and sold as "populist middle of the road", don't offend anyone with not normal looks, replace the design next year, and make it cheap ... it has not been a success. If it is profitable for Sigma to make and sell then it is a success.

If the relative few people that buy them get the appropriate horsepower for their particular needs then it is a success.

If the guys that see a camera as having to be "normal" avoid them then the waiting list to buy one will be reasonable and they will not become unobtainable.

The viewfinder loupe may give us the large format (Leica-S, Pentax 645Z) ability to control the image. No, not for quick snapshots, but I could see a real use for this in studio or where there is time for proper shot discipline. I would like to see some "though the viewfinder" images ... what do we see, what do we get.

Then when did I ever claim that the Sigma Quattro could be used at ISO 3200?

It's well understood that Sigmas are for bright light and below ISO 400, sort of like a 2002 DSLR.

Perhaps Lytro won't be the one to bring plenotpic cameras to the masses, but the tech, whichever party is working on it, is a big deal. And the new Lytro body design is very good.

I remind you of how much a Canon/Kodak DSLR cost in 1995 and how many megapixels it had and how big the external data recorder was, and the fact that there was no jpeg, so no checking the images after shooting.

HowaboutRAW, You claim that many can happen in 5 or 10 years and you are right. But the Foveon chip was first placed in a DSLR (the Sigma SD9 as I'm not mistaken) in 2002. We are now 12 years later and the Foveon chip is still not up to higher ISO pictures.As this side (http://www.slrlounge.com/look-sigma-dp2-quattro/) the Quatro can take great pictures at ISO 100, but you see no pictures above that ISO. And even the eye of the boy with the icecream is very noisy at ISO 100!So the Quatro (and in fact all Foveon cameras) are limmited to low ISO pictures, then they are great, but when the night comes, or you have to take pictures inside, you better have an other camera at the moment. Who knows in 10 years? I don't wait for that, I want to take my pictures now!

Actually, the Quattro can take excellent photos thru ISO400. And there are places it can easily be used at ISO800.

I'm going by raws I've downloaded from Imaging-Resource and PhotographyBlog. And then extracted. There's effectively no noise at ISO 100, so either SLR Lounge is shooting jpeg, or doesn't know how to use Sigma Pro Photo 6 for extraction.

Are you not generally familiar with the history of shooting above 800 ISO with DSLRs?

Their cameras are designed for people who really value "being different" above all other considerations. It doesn't matter if they cost too much or perform too little as long as they are bizarre in some way.

No one can ever accuse Sigma of running with the herd. And the odds are, no one will ever be stealing their camera designs.

They probably should stick with what they do best.... making lenses, and leave grotesque camera designs for someone else.

And you, Marty, should probably stick to what you do best as well. Believe me, it's NOT commenting on a camera you have never used and passing judgement on an entire segment of the community you know nothing about.

If only Sigma had given their Quattro cameras a hotshoe for an add-on tiltable EVF! The loupe is certainly a helpful device but it's also bulky and not tiltable.

Sigma should redesign the Quattro series and eliminate a bad mistake as soon as possible! Then a Quattro camera with a super wide angle ought to attract new and serious attention to Sigma's unique sensor!

You gotta be kidding me, Sigma. I have all DP Merrills and had all DP versions before. I recently added the Q2 but do not like its form factor and will sell it.And I won`t ever touch this LOUPE. It`s 2014, hello.

Latest in-depth reviews

The Nikon Z6 may not offer the incredible resolution of its sibling, the Z7, but its 24MP resolution is more than enough for most people, and the money saved can buy a lot of glass. Find out what's new and notable about the Z6 in our First Impressions Review.

Many cameras today include built-in image stabilization systems, but when it comes to video that's still no substitute for a proper camera stabilization rig. The Ronin-S aims to solve that problem for DSLR and mirrorless camera users, and we think DJI has delivered on that promise.

The SiOnyx Aurora is a compact camera designed to shoot stills and video in color under low light conditions, so we put it to the test under the northern lights and against a Nikon D5. It may not be a replacement for a DSLR, but it can complement one well for some uses.

At its core, the Scanza is an easy-to-use multi-format film scanner. It offers a quick and easy way to scan your film negatives and slides into JPEGs, but costs a lot more than similar products without a Kodak label.

Latest buying guides

If you're looking for a high-quality camera, you don't need to spend a ton of cash, nor do you need to buy the latest and greatest new product on the market. In our latest buying guide we've selected some cameras that while they're a bit older, still offer a lot of bang for the buck.

What's the best camera for under $500? These entry level cameras should be easy to use, offer good image quality and easily connect with a smartphone for sharing. In this buying guide we've rounded up all the current interchangeable lens cameras costing less than $500 and recommended the best.

Whether you've grown tired of what came with your DSLR, or want to start photographing different subjects, a new lens is probably in order. We've selected our favorite lenses for Sony mirrorlses cameras in several categories to make your decisions easier.

Whether you've grown tired of what came with your DSLR, or want to start photographing different subjects, a new lens is probably in order. We've selected our favorite lenses for Canon DSLRs in several categories to make your decisions easier.

For the past few weeks, our readers have been voting on their favorite photographic gear released in the past year in a wide range of categories. Now that the first round of voting is over, it's time to pick the best overall product of 2018.

Sony had the full-frame mirrorless market to itself for nearly five years, but it's no longer alone – the Nikon Z6 and Canon EOS R have both arrived priced to compete with the a7 III. We take a head to head to head look at these three cameras.

As if it needed one, the triple-camera smartphone might really be the final nail in the compact camera's coffin. DPR contributor Lars Rehm brought the LG V40 on a hiking trip recently and found it to be a huge leap forward in terms of creative freedom.

Renowned UK-based landscape photographer Nigel Danson has been using DSLRs for years. In this video, created exclusively for DPReview, Nigel discusses his experience using the Nikon Z7 and why he's excited about mirrorless cameras. (Spoiler... beautiful scenery ahead.)

Chinese optical manufacturer Kipon has added the Nikon Z and Canon R mounts to its range of adapters made to attach medium format lenses from Hasselblad, Mamiya, Pentax and others to full frame cameras.